Colleges build organic, sustainability programs

PULLMAN, Wash. — Misha Manuchehri slowly picks her way through plots of barley, wheat and peas. Every so often, the graduate student in crop science at Washington State University stoops to pluck an errant weed at a farm just off campus.

By:
Shannon Dininny, Associated Press

PULLMAN, Wash. — Misha Manuchehri slowly picks her way through plots of barley, wheat and peas. Every so often, the graduate student in crop science at Washington State University stoops to pluck an errant weed at a farm just off campus.

With a bachelor’s degree in organic agriculture already under her belt, Manuchehri plans to continue her studies and ultimately find work in sustainable agriculture.

Plenty of others are doing the same at dozens of universities that now offer courses, certificates or degree programs focused on organic and sustainable agriculture. Experts say those graduates shouldn’t have trouble finding jobs as the agriculture industry replaces aging farmers — the average age of a U.S. farmer is 57 — and farmers increasingly look to diversify their operations.

Organic and sustainable specialists don’t just bring their unique skills to the farm, Pepperl says, “but can make our conventional farming better, too.”

He notes, for example, that such specialists have new ideas about methods for handling pests, fungus and weeds that use fewer chemicals, making them environmentally preferable and potentially less expensive.

Organic online

Washington State University, which already offers an organic agriculture degree, recently became the first school in the country to offer an organic agriculture certificate online. At the University of California-Davis, students are enrolling in a new sustainable agriculture and food systems program this fall.

Experts say the growth in alternative agriculture programs is fueled by continued consumer demand for food seen as healthier and rising demand for food that is produced on sustainable farms that are environmentally responsible and treat workers and animals humanely.

In 2003, the Organic Farming Research Foundation in Santa Cruz, Calif., surveyed land grant universities about their organic programs. They asked about student-farm acres devoted to organics, the number of courses and degree programs.

The group found that few of the universities had invested much time or money in organic programs.

A similar survey this year has shown different results, said Jane Sooby, a grants program director.

“I haven’t finished crunching the numbers yet, but I’m finding a huge acceptance of organic at many of these schools,” Sooby says.

More education

This increased focus on organics and sustainability comes amid a long-term trend toward greater education of U.S. farmers.

Curtis Miller, director of education for the American Farm Bureau Foundation, the education arm of the American Farm Bureau, notes that about one-quarter of all farmers today have bachelor’s degrees and close to 70 percent have some college coursework. That’s up from just 4 percent of farmers and ranchers who had college degrees in 1965.

“Everybody’s going back to school because you have to. We know that equals earning potential and survivability on and off the farm,” Miller says. “No matter how you raise your food, fiber or fuel, this diversification includes a lot of these educational programs.”

Washington state is No. 2 in the country in the value of organic production, behind California. About 9 percent of U.S. organic production comes from Washington, compared with 33 percent from California.

For that reason, Miles McEvoy called Washington State University’s organic program “forward thinking.”

McEvoy headed the Washington state Department of Agriculture’s organic program before being tapped to take over the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s organic program in 2009.

“Organics are growing. Not at the same rate as a few years ago, but it’s still a growth area,” he says. “So those farms and processers and other people involved in organic agriculture, they need people who have experience in that area.”

Sustainability spotlight

In California, organics have been studied at universities for years. Now the University of California-Davis is turning its attention to sustainable agriculture.

Tom Tomich, director of the school’s Agricultural Sustainability Institute, says sustainability takes into account global issues, which he argued would become increasingly important in the future because food and agriculture are so central to issues revolving around the environment, hunger and treatment of workers.

“In terms of education, we’re going to need a new generation of educators who can frame the great issues of this century from this perspective,” he says.

That’s in line with what Manuchehri sees for her future. With an undergraduate degree in organics, her graduate work and possibly a doctorate, she hopes to find work maintaining the balance between conventional and organic agriculture. She also wants to focus on sustainability issues, helping farms protect the environment while maintaining profits that keep them viable.

“Sustainability is just as important, and I don’t think sustainability and organic is the same thing,” she says. “There are some great conventional farms that are extremely sustainable, and I could easily see myself working for them.”